A group of parents representing students who attend John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School told the Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education on July 23 that a recent decision to discontinue bus service to Kennedy has left families scrambling and could disrupt students’ education.

At the board’s public comment period, an unnamed parent representing Kennedy Catholic families said the busing has been provided “for at least the past 17 years” and described the district’s late notice — about six weeks before the Sept. 2 start of school — as “disruptive” and potentially forcing some families to withdraw their children. The speaker asked the district to pause the change while parents and the district review distance calculations and alternatives, noting that temporary road construction (Baptist Church Road) affects mapping and mileage calculations.

Father Mark Vallowford, president of John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School, read a prepared statement from the Archdiocese of New York and appealed to the board for “fundamental fairness” and reconsideration. He described families who had made tuition deposits and warned the change could harm college‑bound students who value transcript continuity.

Superintendent (unnamed) responded during the meeting, noting the district is bound by New York State law that defines transportation eligibility to nonpublic schools. She reiterated that the state’s 15‑mile statutory limit is measured from the student’s residence to the nonpublic school along the nearest available public route, and that the April 1 written transportation request from parents is a required notification but not an automatic approval of service. The superintendent said districts cannot create their own eligibility rules and must comply with Education Law §3635 and related regulations. She also committed to reviewing disputed mileage calculations: parents were asked to provide addresses to transportation staff (Miss Koch), and the superintendent offered to drive routes “when appropriate” to check distances.

The superintendent explained two ways a district may provide transport beyond the 15‑mile limit: voter‑approved propositions in the annual budget and, where at least one student lives within 15 miles of the nonpublic school, designation of centralized pick‑up points to ferry students from farther away to those points. She said any voter‑approved proposition would have to apply equally to similarly situated students.

District officials also said there is an intermunicipal shared‑service agreement with Lakeland (the neighboring district) and that short‑notice activations of such agreements are not uncommon. The superintendent told parents the district will review enrollment/address data, consult attorneys and state officials when needed, and try to improve communications going forward.

Parents asked for a pause to examine distance calculations and to ensure students’ course placements would not be disrupted if they are forced to transfer back to public schools.

No formal reversal of the district decision was made at the July 23 meeting; parents and Kennedy Catholic representatives asked for reconsideration and for clearer communication moving forward.